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After two years of work, the PEI Tank Closure Committee has released PEI/RP1700: Recommended Practices for the Closure of Underground Storage Tank and Shop-Fabricated Aboveground Storage Tank Systems.

RP1700 is one of the most consequential documents ever published by PEI. The closure of underground storage tanks (USTs) and aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) always has been a big part of the petroleum equipment industry. However, this type of work is about to become much more important. During the next 10 years, many of the hundreds of thousands of UST systems installed in response to the 1988 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) UST regulations will be closed as they reach the end of their 30-year warranties.

Until now, owners, operators and contractors across the country followed a patchwork of often-inconsistent tank closure techniques. The PEI Tank Closure Committee designed RP1700 to foster consistent, nationwide closure practices that will protect human life and reduce environmental harm.

Fire and Explosion Hazards. Flammable liquids and vapors are often present in tanks slated for removal. To reduce the risk of fire and explosion, RP1700 outlines steps to control the three sides of the fire triangle: fuel, oxygen and ignition.
Excavation Safety. RP1700 recommends vigorous excavation safety measures such as perimeter barricades, walkways, lighting and signs. The document also provides guidance on reducing the risks of cave-ins and destabilization of adjacent buildings.

Goal No. 2: Protect the Environment
Careless or insufficiently planned closures can lead to spills and releases. To minimize these risks, RP1700 details how to protect the environment during closure and reduce the risk of future releases.

During tank closures, contractors often discover existing soil or water contamination caused by a previous release. RP1700 recommends that preclosure plans assess this risk and include steps to mitigate damage if previously unknown contamination is uncovered.

A closure in place requires additional precautions to prevent future releases, including removing the vent line, capping or plugging piping and fittings that cannot be accessed, and filling the tank with a solid, inert material.

PEI thanks the members of the PEI Tank Closure Committee for the dedication and expertise they committed to this project:

The 19.92 billion gallons of total renewable fuels mandated for 2019 is a 630 million-gallon increase over 2018 and a 4 million-gallon increase over the agency’s June proposal. The 2020 biodiesel requirement of 2.43 billion gallons is 330 million gallons up from 2018. A table listing volume requirements for individual renewable fuel categories is available on the EPA website.

FROM THE STATES
Colorado. Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission voted unanimously to adopt California’s stringent low-emission vehicle (LEV) standards, rather than the federal emission standards established under the Clean Air Act. Colorado joins Pennsylvania and Washington in accepting California’s LEV standards.
Missouri. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources scheduled a series of four December workshops for UST and AST contractors, installers, operators and owners. The workshops will discuss the state’s new UST rules, corrosion issues, common UST and AST inspection problems, venting, air pollution and more. The sessions will be held Dec. 11 in Cape Girardeau, Dec. 12 in St. Louis, Dec. 13 in Springfield and Dec. 14 in Kansas City. For more information, contact Darryl Slade at darryl.slade@dnr.mo.gov or 573-751-7877.
Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Secretary of Energy and Environment, and Department of Transportation announced $3.1 million in grants for the purchase, installation and operation of publicly accessible charging stations. The ChargeOK Grant Program is funded by the state’s Volkswagen State Environmental Trust.

EPA FUNDS UST REPAIR IN PUERTO RICO, VIRGIN ISLANDS
The EPA will invest $3.95 million to investigate and repair UST damage in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The effort, which is designed to protect public health and the environment, will be conducted in partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources. Puerto Rico will receive $3.5 million of the total funding, with the remaining $450,000 going to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

SKIMMER DEFENDANTS SENTENCED
On Nov. 28, a federal court in Ohio sentenced 10 individuals convicted of gasoline dispenser credit-card skimmer fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the defendants installed skimmers in Ohio, Colorado, Maryland and Utah between Aug. 2014 and July 2017. The defendants then used information obtained from the skimmers to make and use counterfeit credit cards. Sentences ranged from six to 81 months.

AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES PETROLEUM CONTRACTOR TRAINING STANDARDS
The Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA) is working with the Australian Industry Standards organization to develop training standards for petroleum industry contractors. As the first step in the process, ACAPMA is writing a business case for the standards, which it intends to present to the Australian Industry Skills Council by April 2019. If the business case is accepted, development of training modules will begin shortly thereafter, with the first modules available to the industry sometime in 2020.

MEMBER NEWS
Caliber Professional Sales Services made Melissa Henley a partner in the firm. Henley has been with Caliber since its 2014 inception.
LSI Industries appointed Terry Bair vice president of channel sales. Bair will use his more than 30 years of lighting industry experience in LSI’s commercial, industrial, renovation and stock-and-flow channels.

BRIEFLY NOTED
“India’s state-run oil marketing companies – Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation – have opened up bids for petrol station dealerships at 55,659 locations across the country … . For the first time in four years the government has allowed state-run retailers to expand their business in an operation that could double their current network over the next five years, according to the Financial Express.”—PetrolPlaza, Nov. 26, 2018
“White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Monday the United States wants to end subsidies for electric cars and other items including renewable energy sources. Asked about actions planned after General Motors announced U.S. plant closings and layoffs last week, Kudlow said he expected subsidies for buying electric cars will end in 2020 or 2021.”—Reuters, Dec. 3, 2018
“Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, and Volkswagen, the German car manufacturer, have partnered to develop an electric vehicle charging network in the U.K., Reuters reports. Under the agreement, Tesco and Volkswagen will roll out more than 2,400 electric vehicle charging bays across 600 Tesco stores over the next three years. … The plan would boost the number of public charging stations in Britain by 14%.”—convenience.org, Dec. 3, 2018
“Volkswagen’s strategy chief said on Tuesday the German carmaker’s core brand will develop its final generation of vehicles using combustion engine technology in 2026. Volkswagen made a strategy shift toward battery-driven vehicles in the wake of a damaging diesel-emissions cheating scandal in 2015, which forced the carmaker to pay more than 27 billion euros in fines for hiding excessive pollution.”—autoblog.com, Dec. 4, 2018